August 2010

August, with more waders, the possibilty of falls of passerines and some good seawatches, is when "autumn" really gets going. Rarities have been few, Golden Oriole and Wryneck come to mind, and then there was a summer plumage Black Guillemot in 2004. However, in any case, additions to the year list should include a skua or two, a wader or two and Pied Flycatcher if, of course, the winds are right!

31st - sunny with a light NW wind. After yesterday's seawatch, the only skua was a single Arctic Skua heading east. Seven Wigeon flying west were the first of the autumn, three Teal flew west and there were six Knot on the beach. A Hobby and a Willow Warbler were also seen.

Migrant Hawkers - Geoff Burton

30th - sunny with a strong NW to N wind. Classic seawatch weather! Andy was down from 6 but it wasn't til 7.30 a.m. that he found his first skua just as I was arriving. Between then and midday, we had 46 Arctic Skuas and 63 Great Skuas fly west with the star birds being two Manx Shearwaters and a juvenile Long-tailed Skua; the latter flew west close inshore with three Arctic Skuas. Five Arctic Terns also flew west but it was very much a skua performance with other typical seawatch birds rather scarce with only 12 Gannets and four Kittiwakes west.

28th - sunny with a light to moderate NW wind. A juvenile Marsh Harrier flew west distantly over the sea, two Shelduck and a Teal flew west, two Common Scoters flew east and a Grey Heron, which flew east over the area pursued by gulls, was the first recorded this month. Two juvenile Knot and a Sanderling were on the beach and a Greenshank was heard calling. The two Kingfishers were present again and single Green Woodpecker and Great Spotted Woodpecker were seen. Three Yellow Wagtails flew west, a Wheatear was on the shingle ridge whilst warblers included single Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat and two Willow Warblers .

Chiffchaff - Andy Taylor

27th - cloudy with fresh NE wind after steady rain. Andy, alerted to the fact that skuas were on the move, got down at 11a.m. He saw 17 Arctic Skuas and three Great Skuas fly west in the next hour an a half as well as 12 Gannets, a Common Scoter, three Whimbrel and three Arctic Terns but the star of the watch was a Sooty Shearwater, which also headed west, at 12.15 p.m. A Wheatear was also seen coming in off the sea.

26th - cloudy with a moderate SW wind. Four Black-tailed Godwits and 16 Whimbrel flew west; one flock of 14 Whimbrel was accompanied by a summer plumage Bar-tailed Godwit. Other birds heading west included a Fulmar and two Arctic Skuas close inshore. A Peregrine flew SW low over the area. Three Swifts circling to the east beyond the caravan park were the first recorded here since 31st July. Two Kingfishers flew downstream under the bridge by the sewage works; the first of the year and a most welcome return after last year's hard winter. Nine Swallows and a flock of 50 House Martins headed south. Single Yellow Wagtail and Grey Wagtail were seen and a Lesser Whitethroat was along the east bank.

24th - sunny with a moderate SW wind. Five Black-tailed Godwits and three Whimbrel flew west whilst, on the beach, there were 30 Oystercatchers, five Dunlin, a Bar-tailed Godwit and a Curlew and 245 Turnstones. 11 Sand Martins, four Swallows and our first House Martin of the month flew west whilst there was more activity away from the beach with two Whinchats in the scrub, albeit briefly, and a complete suite of the common warblers including a Sedge Warbler and two Reed Warblers, and our first Garden Warbler of the year near the wood.

21st - sunny with a moderate SW wind. An adult summer plumage Black Tern flew west whilst waders on the beach included a juvenile Knot amongst the Turnstones, three Dunlin and six Whimbrel, which gathered on the spit before departing west as the tide came in. Two Sand Martins and six Yellow Wagtails flew west and single Yellow Wagtail and Grey Wagtail fed along the side of the brook behind the shingle ridge.

19th - sunny with a light SW wind. Waders roosting on the beach included 90 Ringed Plovers, a Knot, three Sanderling, five Dunlin and 250 Turnstones. Bird of the day, however, was a Pied Flycatcher seen briefly on telegraph wires near the scout hut, which was our first of the year. Eight Sand Martins and 13 Swallows flew west, a Grey Wagtail was seen over the sewage works and two Willow Warblers were also seen.

The Environment Agency has finally opened up the brook to the sea. It has been unflowing for months and the Agency's attentiveness has apparently suffered in the current economic climate.

18th - sunny, moderate NW wind. A, or possibly the, juvenile Little Grebe was in the lower brook. 85 Ringed Plovers were on the shingle ridge at high tide. Six Swallows flew west, two Yellow Wagtails were seen, a Sedge Warbler was in the scrub and two Willow Warblers were also seen. A rather quiet morning.

16th - cloudy with the fresh winds having gone round to the NW. Three Arctic Skuas heading east together and a juvenile Arctic Tern feeding close inshore were both new birds for the year. In addition, another Grey Plover flew west, a Whimbrel was on the beach and two Greenshank flew east. Two Willow Warblers were seen and two Jays, near the entrance to the sewage works, were the first this month.

15th - cloudy again but the winds had developed into a fresh NE. However, six Gannets, 26 Common Scoters and an adult Kittiwake flying east was a rather muted response although three Great Skuas flying west were the first skuas of the autumn. A Green Sandpiper was flushed from the side of the flooded lower brook and a Hobby flew west over the sewage works entrance.

The most obvious reaction to the winds was the sight of 41 kite surfers in the "air" together between the obs and the Street.

14th - cloudy with a light northerly wind. A rather quiet morning. Two Golden Plovers, one Grey Plover , 20 Whimbrel and 29 Common Terns flew west. Two Swallows and two Yellow Wagtails also flew west and a single Willow Warbler was seen.

13th - cloudy, winds light NW to SW. A little rain. More activity today: five Teal flew west and a Great Crested Grebe and a Shoveler flew west high over the sea together making a rather odd pair. Waders on the move included ten Golden Plovers, four Snipe, five Dunlin, seven Black-tailed Godwits and a Curlew flew west whilst a party of six Whimbrel chose to fly SW inland. A Peregrine was seen flying north low over the sea, a Sparrowhawk flew low west over the marsh and a Hobby flew south over the churchyard. Other birds included 20+ Gannets offshore, the duck Mallard was with its four full-grown ducklings in the brook, three Common Sandpipers, two Mediterranean Gulls and two Willow Warblers were also seen.

11th - sunny with a light westerly wind. A Little Egret was on the beach and two more flew west. A Sparrowhawk was flushed from the bushes along the upper brook and an immature Peregrine flew west over the beach. Roosting waders included 220 Turnstones with 20 Oystercatchers, 48 Ringed Plovers, seven Dunlin and seven Redshank. A single Wheatear was on the beach.

9th - cloudy, a band of mist moved across the area and out to sea, then there was a light SW wind. A juvenile Little Grebe was in the brook behind the shingle ridge again, a Green Sandpiper and a Common Sandpiper were in the brook and three of the latter flew west. Two Little Egrets, a Whimbrel and a Mediterranean Gull were on the beach. A juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker dropped into pine corner, 18 Swallows flew west, there were three Yellow Wagtails, a Sedge Warbler and a Reed Warbler by the obs, and a second Sedge in the scrub, and three Willow Warblers.

A Wall Brown butterfly seen briefly near the obs was a first for the site (our 22nd species) and Silver Y moth and Migrant Hawker dragonflies were also noted.

8th - Greg Herne reported a Fulmar flying west close inshore.

7th - cloudy, with steady rain at times and a light southerly wind. 175 Turnstones were gathered on the beach to roost with 33 Ringed Plovers and two Dunlin. A Whimbrel was also on the beach and there were single Green Sandpiper and Common Sandpipers in the brook. Two Black-tailed Godwits and 20 Gannets flew east, there was a Wheatear on the shingle ridge and 15 Sand Martins and five Swallows flew west.

6th - sunny and warm with a light southerly wind. A Greenshank and two Green Sandpipers were flushed friom the brook behind the shingle ridge. The Greenshank repaired to the beach and one of the Green Sandpipers hung around finally departing west at 9 a.m. A Sanderling and four Mediterranean Gulls were on the beach and 16 Gannets flew east. There were three Wheatears on the shingle ridge, a Grey Wagtail flew west from the sewage works, two Sedge Warblers were noted in the scrub and along the east bank, one juvenile Willow Warbler was seen and at least three Chaffinches were present in the churchyard.

Insects in the warm weather included a record 12 species of butterfly, including our second Painted Lady of the year, a female Common Darter and a Shaded Broad-bar moth.

Shaded Broad-bar - Geoff Burton

3rd - sunny, light NW wind and warmer. There were nine Dunlin and three Common Sandpipers feeding in the brook behind the shingle ridge. There were

three Little Egrets on the beach. Little passerine migration but eight Swallows flew west, a Wheatear wass present on the shingle ridge and there were three Willow Warblers in the area. A Green Woodpecker was heard calling near the upper brook and a Great Spotted Woodpecker was seen briefly in flight.

Eight species of butterfly were seen in the warmer weather including Comma, Red Admiral and Common Blue.

Common Blue - Geoff Burton

2nd - cloudy with a light to moderate northerly wind. An adult Golden Plover was roosting on the shingle at high tide later joining the flock of 201 Turnstones and a single Sanderling. A flock of ten Whimbrel flew west at 9.32 a.m. and there were two Common Sandpipers present. Seven Swallows flew west and two Willow Warblers were seen.

1st - cloudy with a light southerly wind. Nine Gannets flew west, Marsh Harrier drifted east inland and, on the beach, there was a single Whimbrel and a juvenile Mediterranean Gull whilst five Common Sandpipers commuted between there and the brook. Also, on the beach, a gathering of 130 Herring Gulls included 49 juveniles. There were three Willow Warblers present and a juvenile Reed Bunting in the scrub may have been the offspring from our elusive pair or have strayed from elsewhere. A modest start to the month.

Small mammals do not often reveal themselves and so, alas, we are dependent on their misfortune for anythimg more than a glimpse.

Long-tailed Field Mouse - Geoff Burton